George Santayana’s widely cited aphorism, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” while catchy, fails to account for the question of how we remember history. Our perception of historical events is shaped by the media and literature that was produced during these events. Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World reminds us of the dangers of eugenics. Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 critiques book burning and idea suppression, and was written at a time when the Red Scare and fear of communism lead to widespread suppression of literature, films and plays. Similarly, George Orwell wrote 1984 around the end of World War II, just as the Allies defeated the fascist regimes of the Axis powers and communism was beginning to touch the British
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In 1984, O’Brien claims that “The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake” and that “Power is not a means; it is an end” (Orwell 263). He posits the struggle for power as the race to the ultimate end, an end that drives all the poverty, surveillance and government oppression within Oceania. The infatuation with power that Orwell writes about is not a demonstration of Orwell’s cynicism, but an expression of human nature. In acclaimed writer and intellectual Gore Vidal’s essay “Robert Graves and the Twelve Caesars,” Vidal explains how Julius Caesar wanted to conquer the known world “simply to have it” (Vidal). He goes on to explain how powerful figures throughout history wanted their offices, titles and political positions “merely to wield power, to be famed and feared” (Vidal). He arrives at the conclusion that behind “a sea of evasions: history as sociology, leaders as teachers…power is an end to itself, and the instinctive urge to prevail [is] the most important single human trait” (Vidal). Vidal explains how the drive for power is ingrained in the human psyche. Orwell describes what this drive for power can result in: A world where “The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture” (Orwell 263). A world of endless oppression. Orwell’s warning about the manifestation of power as an end also has …show more content…
For instance, the popular BBC television show Black Mirror, in the episode White Bear, depicts mass participation in the control over, and torture of a convicted criminal. The main character, Victoria, faces continual abuse as her mind is wiped and she is forced to live in a fabricated post-apocalyptic world (White Bear). In reality, hundreds of spectators participate in this staged park, reveling in her abuse and controlling her actions through mass decentralized surveillance. These members of society long to feel the power of controlling and humiliating another human being. The theme of power present in White Bear is indicative of the innate drive for power and the ways it can be satisfied. 1984 exposes the role of power in human nature, an attribute that is demonstrated in historical figures and modern entertainment. But power in human nature goes beyond popular culture and historical analysis – the steps taken to achieve power can have disastrous
In 1984, O’Brien claims that “The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake” and that “Power is not a means; it is an end” (Orwell 263). He posits the struggle for power as the race to the ultimate end, an end that drives all the poverty, surveillance and government oppression within Oceania. The infatuation with power that Orwell writes about is not a demonstration of Orwell’s cynicism, but an expression of human nature. In acclaimed writer and intellectual Gore Vidal’s essay “Robert Graves and the Twelve Caesars,” Vidal explains how Julius Caesar wanted to conquer the known world “simply to have it” (Vidal). He goes on to explain how powerful figures throughout history wanted their offices, titles and political positions “merely to wield power, to be famed and feared” (Vidal). He arrives at the conclusion that behind “a sea of evasions: history as sociology, leaders as teachers…power is an end to itself, and the instinctive urge to prevail [is] the most important single human trait” (Vidal). Vidal explains how the drive for power is ingrained in the human psyche. Orwell describes what this drive for power can result in: A world where “The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture” (Orwell 263). A world of endless oppression. Orwell’s warning about the manifestation of power as an end also has …show more content…
For instance, the popular BBC television show Black Mirror, in the episode White Bear, depicts mass participation in the control over, and torture of a convicted criminal. The main character, Victoria, faces continual abuse as her mind is wiped and she is forced to live in a fabricated post-apocalyptic world (White Bear). In reality, hundreds of spectators participate in this staged park, reveling in her abuse and controlling her actions through mass decentralized surveillance. These members of society long to feel the power of controlling and humiliating another human being. The theme of power present in White Bear is indicative of the innate drive for power and the ways it can be satisfied. 1984 exposes the role of power in human nature, an attribute that is demonstrated in historical figures and modern entertainment. But power in human nature goes beyond popular culture and historical analysis – the steps taken to achieve power can have disastrous